Xiaowei Wang

An Analysis of Global Trade in E-waste 1996-2013—with Special Reference to China

Research Description

As information and communication technology advances, increasingly more electrical and electric devices are disposed all throughut the world, thus raising the global e-waste problem. This e-waste problem not only lies on the increasing huge amount of used electric devices, but also lies on that developed countries illegally transporting their e-waste to developing countries. When beginning to conduct research on the e-waste trade, I find that the definition of e-waste is controversial. Different definitions of e-waste can lead to different solutions to e-waste problems. Therefore, the purpose of my study is to explore and obtain a better understanding of the role of definitions in the process of solving the e-waste problem and the space and time characteristics exhibited by the global e-waste trade. How does the definition of e-waste matter? What work do definitions do? How has the pattern of global trade of e-waste changed over time? How have those patterns changed with regard to China over the same period?